‘Millions’ of Skype internet phone users cut off after technical glitch: Users of Skype have struggled to sign in to the system for the past two days The Daily Mail are reporting. The Internet phone service was today reported to be racing to fix a technical glitch that is thought to have left millions of […]
Category: Advice
Business advice to help you grow your SME and small & medium sized company and help you grow your company
Controlling your costs the professional way
Since I started my company Actinic 15 years ago, I’ve sold almost exclusively to small businesses – it’s been a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the sense that no single customer is too critical. Against this is that none of these guys has much money, which means we have to be incredibly cost conscious. This experience has taught me a few tips about keeping costs down.
What’s stopping you? 10 signs that you may have fear of failure
Fear of failure is a debilitating mental condition that affects millions – seriously impacting the academic and career potential of otherwise smart and ambitious people. This impact is exacerbated by the fact many (if not most) sufferers are unaware they have this recognised psychological malaise.
Small business should avoid social media for recruitment
The use of social media in recruitment is on the rise with many success stories. However, according to a panel of recruitment specialists, small businesses will not be among those who directly profit from this emerging market due to its time intensive nature.
How to Stop Firefighting – 100 days to a calm business
If you recognise that you tend to go from fire-fight to calm and back again then its important to importantly establish a 100 day plan to help focus your activities on moving towards calmness permanently. This article explains how.
The £1 shop lease, Social entrepreneurs and a fab & funky workspace
The £1 shop lease. Entrepreneur Austen Pickles is taking advantage of rock bottom commercial property prices to expand his Bradford-based tailoring business by setting up ‘pop up’ shops in key town centres. The Telegraph & Argus are reporting that the boss of bespoke tailoring firm Norton & Townsend is pioneering the retail model after securing […]
Insolvency on the rise: Ensure your business doesn’t become a statistic
UK SMEs could be facing a fresh wave of challenges as business failures are more prevalent when coming out of a recession when access to and the management of cash and working capital are key to both survival and financing growth.
The Apprentice – Task One
The seventh series of The Apprentice (BBC One) began last night, and the main news to report is that the title is now completely meaningless. The winner of The Apprentice in 2011 will not be Lord Sugar’s apprentice at all. Instead, he or she will get £250,000 of his cash and start a business. Why […]
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Past the Blocks
From fire-fight to calm is a common continuum for many businesses. Over the last two columns I have looked at how to get calm and how to prevent the fires. But with the best will in the world – you’ll come up against blocks that will impede your progress to calmly functioning business with no smouldering corners. Here are some tips to get past the blocks.
How to Stop Firefighting – Preventing the Fires in 5 minutes
If your business life seems to be a constant round of fire-fighting, getting calm, fire-fighting, getting calm… and round and round you go then here are some five minute techniques to help you get off that merry-go-round.
Know what you stand for and raise your game because of it
Ever wondered why some people rise to the top and become so well known for their ideas? Why not look into becoming a REAL thought leader?
How to Stop Firefighting – Getting Calm
The first of a short series on “How to stop firefighting and get calm within your business”. This week’s article offers some top tips to get you out of the firefight stage and get you calm.
Small firms enjoy fast growth, Luke Johnson says we need angels & Cameron needs to ‘calm down dear’
Small Firms Enjoy Fastest Growth In 16 Years: UK’s small and medium-sized manufacturers grew at the fastest rate in 16 years due to strong demand at home and abroad, according to new data from the CBI published by Sky. The CBI Trends Survey goes onto report that companies have also benefited from the competitive level […]
FPB launches new three-pronged-plan for SME growth
The government must slash red tape, reduce the complexity of the tax system and check the rise in fuel and utilities prices, according to the Forum of Private Business (FPB).
Britain being left behind in cloud adoption, entrepreneur sells business for $30M after three months
SMEs in UK slower to adopt cloud computing than Europe’s firms: Small businesses in Britain are adopting internet-based software, storage and communication services more slowly than European peers, a survey of companies across Europe and published by The Telegraph suggest. The research findings, whilst not discussing American based businesses would also highlight that both Britain […]